Beware of Unregulated 'Organic' Pet Foods

Official organic standards for pet food have not been finalized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which means the word “organic” on a pet food label does not necessarily mean the product complies with USDA organic standards.

Under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, human food products labeled as “Made with organic” ingredients must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. However, current rules for pet food allow any product containing only 3 percent of a specific organic ingredient to be labeled as “Made with (ingredient).” This means human food labeled “Made with organic beef” must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients, whereas a pet food labeled “Made with organic beef” may contain as little as 3 percent of organic beef.

If an organic pet food bears the USDA Organic label, this means the food complies with the same federal standards established for human organic food, so this is your best option if you want Rover to eat organics.

Certified USDA Organic

Any pet food bearing the USDA-Certified Organic label must be manufactured to the federal standards established for human organic food. All food products must, therefore, contain a minimum of 95 percent organic ingredients, and the other 5 percent is allowed to be non-organic only if an organic ingredient is not available. Product also must be independently certified under the USDA rules.

Any pet food displaying the USDA seal does so voluntarily, meaning the company claims its product complies with the same standards established for human organic food.